Now that Deadpool is such a massive success, it's difficult to remember that before that test footage came out, no one ever would have thought about casting Ryan Reynolds as a superhero again. Green Lantern was a complete failure, hated by critics and fans alike, but when Reynolds donned a superhero suit again, it was a runaway success and one of the best movies of the year, in any genre. Now, Ryan Reynolds is giving his take on how Deadpool got it right where Green Lantern got it very, very wrong:

"Well it's simple: Deadpool always knew what it was," Reynolds told EW. "With Green Lantern, I don't think anyone ever figured out exactly what it was. That isn't to say the hundreds of men and women didn't work their fingers to the bone to make it as good as possible. It also fell victim to the process in Hollywood which is like poster first, release date second, script last."

Personally, I think that the problem with Green Lantern was less an identity crisis and more a shitty script (plus the dumb animated costume that Reynolds himself mocked in Deadpool). Deadpool has been a crossover hit because it was extremely well-written and clever, managing to service critics, fans, and newbies simultaneously.

Reynolds, as we all know, always wanted to play Deadpool, even when he was agreeing to work on Green Lantern:

"At the time, [Green Lantern] was a huge opportunity for me so I was excited to try and take part in it. I did however write a letter to Fox right before I had to decide whether or not I was gonna do Green Lantern. I asked one last time sort of like the groom standing at the alter, 'Will you please be my wife?' and they said they couldn't pull the trigger on Deadpool."